Device for filling spacer frames for insulating glass with hygroscopic material

Abstract: Device for filling spacer frames for insulating glass with hygroscopic material, said frames comprising a first wall (2) and a second wall (4) that lie respectively outside and inside the insulating glass and two third side walls (5) arranged adjacent to the glass sheets forming the insulating glass. The device comprises first means (6) for forming at least one opening (7) at the second inner wall (4) of the frame (1) and second means (9) for inserting the hygroscopic material. There are also third means (13) which seal the opening formed on the second inner wall.

Description: The present invention relates to a device for filling spacer frames for insulating glass with hygroscopic material. Said spacer frames usually comprise hollow profiled bars which are usually joined at one or more corners by means of angles made of plastics or metal. Said frames thus have a first wall lying externally to the insulating glass, a second wall arranged inside the insulating glass, and two third lateral walls arranged adjacent to the glass sheets that form the insulating glass. Hygroscopic material must be poured inside the spacer frames, and adapted holes are formed at the second inner wall so as to maintain the required degree of humidity inside the insulating glass. For this purpose, it is known to manufacture spacer frames which are appropriately folded on three sides, leaving the ends adjacent at one corner disconnected and particularly so that one of the two ends is not folded and thus protrudes beyond the perimetric edge of the other one. This allows to load the hygroscopic material on two sides of the frame, i.e. at the sides whose ends are free: once this operation has been performed, one of the two ends is folded and connected to the other by means of an adapted metal or plastic insert. However, this method has considerable drawbacks: first of all the frame is loaded with hygroscopic material only at two of its four sides and after filling it is furthermore necessary to perform additional work steps that can for example cause the accidental loss of part of this hygroscopic material. As a partial solution to these drawbacks, it is known to manufacture frames that are again folded so as to form a geometrical shape that is open at one corner; an L-shaped closing insert can be associated at the free ends. The hygroscopic material is again loaded before assemblying the L-shaped insert; however, even this solution has the drawbacks mentioned above and thus allows to fill the frame with hygroscopic material only on two sides, with the additional drawback due to the difficulty of hermetically sealing the frame at the corner even when it is sealed with a local injection of butyl. Furthermore, should one wish to fill each individual side of the frame with hygroscopic material, the frame would have to be formed by multiple elements that were subsequently mutually associable by using angular inserts that allow coupling to the following side. Even this solution, however, would not be optimum, since on one hand it would not be possible to seal the frame hermetically at its corners, even by injecting butyl locally, and furthermore there would be an excessive time interval between the loading of the hygroscopic material and the coupling of the frame to the glass sheets. Furthermore, an excessive manual work would be required to assemble the composite frame, i.e. a frame whose sides are joined at their ends by means of angular inserts. Italian patent no. 1190881, filed on June 22, 1982 as application no. 21991 A/82, is also known among the known art: this patent discloses a device for filling spacer frames with hygroscopic material, whose purpose is to allow the final and permanent filling of spacer frames which are already folded and thus closed. This is achieved by means of a device that forms an opening in the outer wall of the spacer frame; the hygroscopic material is introduced through this opening, which is sealed by means of a welding tip. However, even this solution has drawbacks due to the use of multiple devices, including a welding machine which has considerable problems since welding must be performed on a frame having a very limited thickness. Accordingly, there is the problem of hermetically welding this hole, also bearing in mind that any application of material alters the flatness of the outer surface of the frame, which must be maintained as much as possible in order to subsequently apply sealant optimally. As a partial solution to this drawback one might think to form a seal, at the hole formed on the outer wall of the frame, not with a welding machine but for example with butyl; however, this solution would in any case have drawbacks, due to the difficulty of sealing the hole at its thickness, unless an overabundant amount of sealant (which depends anyway on the size of the profile) is injected or unless holes provided with a collar are formed with great difficulty. There is accordingly the risk of not achieving frame flatness at the injection hole formed on the outer wall. A discontinuity would also be produced on said outer wall of the frame, on which a second seal must be subsequently performed, and this would entail discontinuities and problems in applying the bead of sealant at the opening. It is also known to manufacture a frame in a closed shape, on which holes are subsequently produced at the side walls which are then arranged adjacent to the glass sheets forming the insulating glass. Even this solution has drawbacks, since there is still the problem linked to the need to seal said holes, with the consequent observed presence of discontinuities during the application of the first seal, if provided; these discontinuities are worsened when the side walls provided with the holes must be pressed at the glass sheets forming the insulating glass. In fact it has been observed that during the application of the sealant said sealant may become interrupted at the hole, causing the frame to be no longer hermetically sealed. It should in fact be noted that the frame must be permeable to air only at the wall lying inside the insulating glass. A principal aim of the present invention is therefore to solve the described technical problems, eliminating the drawbacks of the known art and thus providing a device that allows to fill spacer frames for insulating glass with hygroscopic material while maintaining a perfectly hermetic seal for the frame with respect to the environment outside the insulating glass. Within the scope of the above aim, an important object is to provide a device that allows to optimally fill the various portions forming the frame with hygroscopic material. Another important object is to obtain a device that allows the easy filling of all the sides of the frame with hygroscopic material and avoids the use of welding machines or the application of sealant, such as butyl, at the holes for introducing the hygroscopic material. Another important object is to provide a device that allows to maintain optimum flatness of the frame walls that are affected by the external seal and interact with the surfaces of the sheets forming the insulating glass. Another object is to provide a device which is reliable and safe in use and has low manufacturing costs. With this aim, these objects and others in view, there is provided, according to the present invention, a device for filling spacer frames for insulating glass with hygroscopic material, said frames comprising a first wall and a second wall that lie respectively outside and inside said insulating glass and two third side walls arranged adjacent to the glass sheets forming said insulating glass, characterized in that it comprises: first means for forming at least one opening at said second inner wall of said frame; second means for inserting said hygroscopic material; and third means for sealing said at least one opening. Further characteristics and advantages of the device according to the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of a particular but not exclusive embodiment thereof, illustrated only by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein: figure 1 is a schematic view of a corner of a spacer frame with the first means for forming an opening at the second inner wall of said frame; figure 2 is a view, similar to figure 1, of the second means for filling the sides of the frame with hygroscopic material; figure 3 is a view, similar to figure 2, of the third means for sealing the openings formed in the frame; figure 4 is a view, similar to the figure 3, of part of the frame, wherein for the sake of clarity the cross-section has been reversed at the opening, and of the means for sealing said opening during a step that precedes sealing; figures 5, 6, 7 and 8 illustrate the various sequences by means of which the opening is sealed; figure 9 is a detail view of a possible embodiment; figures 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 illustrate, in various sequences, how to seal the opening in a different embodiment. With reference to the above figures, the reference numeral 1 designates a spacer frame for insulating glass, which is manufactured with a known technology and thus for example by bending a hollow profiled bar. Said frame 1 comprises a first wall 2 which lies outside the chamber 3 of said insulating glass. The frame 1 furthermore has a second wall 4, which lies inside the insulating glass and is thus connected to the chamber 3, and two third walls 5 which are arranged laterally and interact with the surfaces of the glass sheets coupleable to said frame 1. The device for filling said frames, also termed spacer frames, with hygroscopic material comprises first means 6 for forming at least one opening 7 at the second wall 4 lying inside the insulating glass. Said first means 6 are constituted for example by mechanical means such as a mill or by thermal means such as for example a laser. Advantageously, multiple openings 7 are formed at the second wall 4 lying inside the insulating glass and particularly in a region adjacent to the corners 8 of said frame 1. The device furthermore comprises second means 9 for inserting the hygroscopic material at the openings 7; said second means are constituted for example by a tool 10 having a first salt feeding duct 11 which is connected to second ducts 12a and 12b whose free ends can be arranged at the openings 7. The device furthermore comprises third means 13 for sealing the openings 7; said third means are constituted for example by hollow heads 14 which internally contain an elastically deformable element 15 such as for example a plug which preferably has a spherical shape. As an alternative, the shape of the plug may be the most suitable according to the specific requirements. A pusher 16 is furthermore present inside the heads 14 and has the purpose of pushing the elastically deformable element 15 through a hopper 17 at the opening 7. The hopper can slide axially with respect to the head 14 so that it can arrange itself, as will also become apparent hereinafter, partially inside the frame during the insertion of the elastically deformable element, in order to prevent said elastically deformable element from making contact with the edge of the opening 7, since it would deform it. The elastically deformable element 15 is inserted into the frame 1 according to the sequence shown in figures 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8: initially the pusher 16 in fact pushes the elastically deformable element 15 through the axially sliding hopper 17 which compresses it elastically, allowing its insertion into the frame 1 through the opening 7 after the hopper 17 has entered the protective plate 23 which is interposed to avoid damage to the spacer frame. Once the elastically deformable element has passed the perimetric edge 18 at the tip of the hopper 17, which is thus located at a plane lying inside the frame 1, said element tends to resume its shape, expanding inside said frame 1. Once the thrust of the pusher 17 has ended, and once said pusher has retracted into the head 14, the elastically deformable 15 expands fully and has such dimensions that, once it has fully expanded, it closes the opening 7, as shown for example in figure 3. The device thus allows to close the openings 7, obtaining a frame which is hermetically closed at the first outer wall and at the third walls that lie laterally with respect to the insulating glass. This allows to achieve optimum coupling of the frame to the glass sheets forming the insulating glass and to perform optimum sealing of the third lateral walls 5 (first sealing) and of the first outer wall 2 (second sealing). It has thus been observed that the invention has achieved the intended aim and objects, eliminating the technical problems mentioned above and solving the drawbacks of the mentioned known art, since the device according to the invention allows to rapidly and easily fill a frame, optionally already shaped or closed or with one or more open sides, with hygroscopic material, obtaining an optimum sealing of the openings formed on the inner wall of said frame. Furthermore, by not acting on the first outer wall or on the third lateral walls of the frame, said device allows said walls to maintain optimum flatness for the subsequent operations for coupling to the glass sheets and for perimetric sealing (particularly for the third lateral walls 5). Figure 9 illustrates an additional application, which consists in making a hole 19 in the elastically deformable element 15 as well as in the first wall lying outside the frame 1 prior to the coupling of the insulating glass, for the optional injection of gas into the internal chamber. Said hole 19, as well as the hole formed on the first outer wall 2, can be closed by using a suitable mushroom-shaped plug 20; a sealing element 22, such as an O-ring, or sealant, can be interposed coaxially to the stem 21 of said plug. The invention is naturally susceptible to numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the same inventive concept. Thus, for example, figures 10 to 14 illustrate another embodiment for a spacer frame 101 for an insulating glass that comprises a first wall 102 lying outside the chamber 103 of said insulating glass. The frame 101 furthermore has a second wall 104, which lies inside the insulating glass and is thus connected to the chamber 103, and two third walls 105 which are arranged laterally and interact with the surfaces of the glass sheets coupleable to said frame 101. The device for filling said frames with hygroscopic material comprises first means for forming at least one opening 107 at the second wall 104 lying inside the insulating glass, and second means for inserting the hygroscopic material at the openings 107; both means are of the previously described type. The device also comprises third means 113 for sealing the openings 107; said third means comprise hollow heads 114 which internally contain a first and a second elastically deformable elements, designated by the reference numerals 115a and 115b, such as for example a plug which preferably has a spherical shape. A cylindrical chamber 150 is formed within the heads 114 and internally contains a complementarily shaped pusher 116; the function of said pusher is to push, one at a time, the two elastically deformable elements 115a and 115b through a hopper 117 at the opening 107. The first elastically deformable element 115a which faces the opening 107 is inserted into the frame 101 according to the sequence shown in figures 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14: initially the pusher 116 pushes the second elastically deformable element 115b against the first elastically deformable element 115a, which is forced through the hopper 117 which elastically compresses it, allowing its insertion, through the opening 107, into the frame 101 after the hopper 117 has entered the protective plate 123 which is interposed to avoid damage to the spacer frame. After passing beyond the perimetric edge 118 of the tip of the hopper 117, which thus lies at a plane internal to the frame 101, the first elastically deformable element 115a tends to regain its shape, expanding inside said frame 101. Once the thrust of the pusher 106 has ended, and once said pusher has retracted inside the head 114, the second elastically deformable element 115b is ready for insertion through the opening 117, whereas a third elastically deformable element 115c interposes itself, by virtue of a suitably equipped loader magazine, between said second elastically deformable element and the pusher 106, allowing to restart the cycle. The presence of the first and second elastically deformable elements allows to prevent the pusher from driving itself, during pushing, into the one which is going to be accommodated within the frame 101. The materials and the dimensions which constitute the individual components of the device may naturally be the most pertinent according to the specific requirements. Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the scope of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

Claims: Device for filling spacer frames (1, 101) for insulating glass with hygroscopic material, said frames (1, 101) comprising a first wall (2, 102) and a second wall (4, 104) that lie respectively outside and inside said insulating glass and two third side walls (5, 105) arranged adjacent to the glass sheets forming said insulating glass, characterized in that it comprises: first means (6) for forming at least one opening (7, 107) at said second inner wall (4, 104) of said frame (1, 101); second means (9) for inserting said hygroscopic material; and third means (13, 113) for sealing said at least one opening (7, 107). Device according to claim 1, characterized in that said third means (13, 113) seals said at least one opening (7, 107) by inserting therein at least one elastically deformable element (15, 115). Device according to claim 1, characterized in that said third means (13, 113) seals said at least one opening (7, 107) by inserting a rivet therein. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said third means (13, 113) are constituted by hollow heads (14, 114) that internally contain an elastically deformable element (15, 115). Device according to claim 4, characterized in that said elastically deformable element is constituted by a plug (15, 115) which preferably has a spherical shape. Device according to claim 4, characterized in that said elastically deformable element (15, 115) is constituted by a plug which is preferably shaped like an inverted "T". Device according to any one or more of claims 4-6, characterized in that a pusher (16) is present within said heads and pushes said elastically deformable element (15, 115) through a hopper (17, 117) at said at least one opening (7, 107). Device according to claim 7, characterized in that said pusher (16) pushes said elastically deformable element (15, 115) through said hopper (17, 117), which elastically compresses it allowing its insertion through said at least one opening (7, 107) within said frame (1, 101), the perimetric edge of the tip of said hopper lying at a plane internal to said frame. Device according to claim 8, characterized in that once the thrust of said pusher (16) has ended and once the pusher (16) has retracted into said head (14, 114), said elastically deformable element (15, 115) expands and closes said at least one opening (7, 107), locking therein. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that a hole (19) for the optional injection of gas into the chamber (3, 103) of said insulating glass can be formed on said first outer wall (2, 102) and on said elastically deformable element (15, 115) inserted within said frame (1, 101) and can be closed by means of a suitable mushroom-shaped plug (20), coaxially to which it is possible to interpose a sealing element (22) such as an O-ring or sealant. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that said first means (6) for producing said at least one opening (7, 107) at said second inner wall (4, 104) are constituted by mechanical means such as a mill or by thermal means such as a laser. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that said second means (9) for inserting hygroscopic material at said openings (7, 107) are constituted by a tool having a first duct (11) for introducing hygroscopic material which is connected to second ducts (12a, 12b) the free ends whereof can be arranged at said openings (7, 107). Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said first means (6) are adapted for forming at least one opening (7, 107) at said second inner wall (4, 104) of said frame (1, 101) in a region adjacent to the corners (8) of said frame (1, 101). Device according to claim 8, characterized in that said hopper (17, 117) slides axially with respect to said head (14, 114). Device according to claim 14, characterized in that, during the insertion of said elastically deformable element (15, 115), said head (14, 114) arranges itself within a plate (23) that protects against the deformation of said frame (1, 101). Device according to claim 14, characterized in that, during the insertion of said elastically deformable element (15, 115), said hopper (17, 117) arranges itself on a plane lying inside said opening (7, 107). Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the excess of said hygroscopic material at said opening (7, 107) is drained by means of vibrating devices or by means of appropriate ducts formed in said tool. Device for filling spacer frames for insulating glass with hygroscopic material according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises third means (13, 113) for sealing said openings which comprise hollow heads (14, 114) that internally contain at least a first and a second elastically deformable elements (115a, 115b), said elements being preferably spherical. Device according to claim 18, characterized in that a cylindrical chamber is formed within said heads (14, 114), a complementarily shaped pusher (16) being present inside said chamber, said pusher (16) being suitable to push, one at a time, said first (115a) and second (115b) elastically deformable elements through said hopper (117) at said opening (107). Device according to claim 19, characterized in that said pusher (16) pushes said second elastically deformable element (115b) against said first elastically deformable element (115a) which is forced through said hopper (117) which compresses it elastically, allowing its insertion into said frame (101) through said opening (107). Device according to claim 20, characterized in that, once the thrust of said pusher (16) has ended and once said pusher (16) has retracted into said head (114), said second elastically deformable element (115b) faces said opening (107), whereas a third elastically deformable element (116) is loaded so as to interpose itself between said second elastically deformable element (115b) and said pusher (16). A method for filling spacer frames (1, 101) for insulating glass with hygroscopic material, said frames (1, 101) comprising a first wall (2, 102) and a second wall (4, 104) that lie respectively outside and inside said insulating glass and two third side walls (5, 105) arranged adjacent to the glass sheets forming said insulating glass, the method being characterized in that it comprises the steps of: forming at least one opening (7, 107) at said second inner wall (4, 104) of said frame (1, 101); inserting said hygroscopic material into the spacer frame through said opening at said second inner wall; and sealing said at least one opening (7, 107) at said second inner wall after said hygroscopic material has been inserted.

Inventors: VIANELLO FORTUNATO, VIANELLO, FORTUNATO
Applicants: VIANELLO FORTUNATO DAVANZO NAD, VIANELLO FORTUNATO - DAVANZO NADIA, DBA FOR.EL. BASE DI VIANELLO FORTUNATO & C. S.N.C.
Application year: 1994
Main classification: E06B3
IPC codes: E06B1, C03C27, E06B7, E06B3